Singing in the Sun
by RaineJoybringer
Summary: On a mission, Team 8 track a suspect to a crowded nightclub. It's up to Hinata to get their attention, but her singing might just attract more than a brief distraction. Shinobi or singer? It's a tough decision, especially with her crush put in the mix.
1. A Distraction is Born!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

**A/N:** I would like to thank Ironbloodaika (Clark) for letting me bring life to this plot bunny. I can only hope I am doing it sufficient justice. It's a really cute idea.

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**Singing in the Sun: A Distraction is Born!**

"Um… are you sure this is the right location, Kiba-kun?" Hinata rubbed the back of her foot against her other leg, the material scratching at her bare skin through her sandals. They were on top of the roof of a high building, looking down across the street. She glanced up at the sign hanging above the doorway of the building adjacent to them – _Odorikuruu_. No doubt about it, it was some kind of nightclub. And it was currently packed. A pair of bouncers guarded the doorway, and a line of people snaked down the street.

"Have you ever known my nose to be wrong?" Kiba rubbed the bottom part of his nose, giving a wide grin. He sat next to Akamaru, the giant dog sniffing around in interest. Kiba's brow twitched suddenly, turning to his other team mate. "Don't say a word about it, Shino."

"I had no intention of listing the numerous occasions where you have led us off on a different direction," replied the other boy, adjusting his goggles slightly. "However, I did make sure to plant a bug on him – just in case."

Kiba glared at him, feeling paranoid that behind the high collar of his team mate's jacket, he was smirking at him. "Yeah, well, I know I'm right anyway. Too easy if you ask me, the guy's a complete ass of a missing-nin." Akamaru growled about something. Kiba glanced down at his partner. "Ehh? You think it's more dangerous than it looks? No way, this mission is easy, Akamaru! All we have to do is run in, find this crim and drag him back to Konoha! Simple!"

"Akamaru-kun may be right though, Kiba-kun," said Hinata. The veins around her eyes were throbbing, her Byakugan staring through to the club. "There are a number of people in there. We could hurt someone, or they might decide to attack us. Tsunade-sama warned for us to be discreet."

"If we were to rush in, we would be defeating our purpose," agreed Shino. He held his hand up, a tiny bug landing on his finger and buzzing excitedly. "The clientele composes of a large crowd, many shinobi, and too many for us to involve. We should not engage them unless necessary."

Kiba crossed his arms. "Damn it, it's never easy. Guess we'll need a plan or something."

"Now seeking singers for nightly entertainment," said Shino.

"What are you on about?" asked Kiba.

Shino pointed at a large sign on the side of the building. It was advertising auditions for singers. "If someone were to sing, we would be able to hold the crowd's attention long enough to discreetly remove the suspect from the building."

"Sing? I'll do it!" exclaimed Kiba, jabbing a thumb at himself proudly. "No problem."

"No," said Shino bluntly. "You would just give the crowd an excuse for a fight." He turned around, ignoring the other boy's retorts. "It must be Hinata."

"M-Me?!" Hinata jumped. She held a nervous hand up to her lips. "Bu-but, Shino-kun, I-I can't!"

"You are the only one we can rely on," replied Shino, his tone not sympathetic in the least. "You need to… "Wow the crowd"… long enough for us to enter and exit with the suspect."

Kiba raised an eyebrow. "_Wow the crowd_? Where the hell did you get that from?"

"It doesn't matter," muttered Shino. "We need to execute this plan while we know the suspect is still inside. We do not want to lose him. Hinata, get ready."

"O-okay…" Hinata gulped. What was she getting herself into?

* * *

**Inside the club…**

"Um… I'm here about the singing?"

The man at the bar glanced up from writing down tabs. He raised an eyebrow at the woman standing on the other side of the bar. She was quite a knock-out, could have easily been a model with her looks. Her baby blues kept nervously glancing down at the floor.

"What's the matter, Sweetheart, first time singing?" inquired the man. He leaned on the bar to get a better look at her. The dress she was wearing was a little too enticing not to get an eyeful of.

"Uh, um, yes, it is," replied the woman. She tucked a lock of dark blue hair behind her ear. It was a little hard to hear in the club whilst music blasted out from the dance floor.

Inwardly, Hinata felt like dropping the illusion and running as far away as she could. She felt so awkward in this body. It wasn't her - far from it, even if she had tried to imagine a kind of older self when she'd created it (the low-cut dress had been Kiba's idea though). Thinking about her henge, she also felt a tiny rush surge through her when she thought about how she'd tried to create eyes like Naruto's, eyes full of such unique energy and depth. That gave her a little confidence at least, remembering the blond's courage to do any task. This mission was important, and she didn't want to be the one to cause it to fail.

The man took out another book and opened it to a page with names on it. "Well auditions are at eleven tonight. If you come back then..."

Hinata panicked, the mission was for _now_, not _then_. "Please," she said, stepping forward a little. The man looked up questioningly. "Um, sir, please, I would rather do it right now. I, uh, I… I have a wedding to go to tonight, and I don't want to miss it. It's for my… it's for my sister."

The man behind the counter looked her up and down. The woman was looking flustered, something which just didn't look right on her for some reason. He decided to take pity on her though. "Alright, Love, you got yourself an audition then. Pop up on stage and we'll start. But I can't promise you'll get the crowd's affections though, they're not going to like this much." He pulled a radio out from his pocket and spoke into it. "Hey, Reijin, cut the music for a moment, we got an early audition."

Booing began to sound from the dance floor as the music abruptly died down. Hinata shuffled over towards the stage where the DJ was.

"Okay ladies and gents," sounded a voice over the din of the crowd. The DJ ducked as a high-heel sailed over his head. "Hey now, hey now, don't stab the messenger! Come on, settle down, we got some serious business here!" He leaned over towards Hinata, motioning for her to come up on stage. "Pst, hey, Miss, what's your name?"

The crowd was still in a ruckus of noise, their chanting for the music to come back on also mixed with catcalls and wolf whistles as Hinata took the stage. Hinata had never felt so embarrassed or nervous. She stumbled to get words out of her mouth. "Hina… Uh, Hinaru," she spat out. Her eyes were wide with fear.

The DJ raised an eyebrow at her for a brief moment before turning back to the crowd. "Okay, okay, we got here an audition by a Miss Hinaru. So calm down, and don't scare the lady off, alright? It's her first time so be gentle!"

The catcalls intensified. Hinata's cheeks were so flushed she felt like she was going to faint. She hardly even noticed the microphone that was pushed into her hands until the DJ prodded her.

"Come on," he hissed. "Either you sing, or you get lost."

_'I can't jeopardise the mission!'_ thought Hinata. She slowly brought the microphone up near her mouth. Her voice came out as a squeak at first. She paused, cleared her throat, took a breath, and imagined the faces of her team mates encouraging her on. She could almost hear their voices calling out support… Hinata closed her eyes and began to sing.

Time seemed to freeze inside the club. The booing from the crowd ground to complete silence. People aiming to throw things lowered their arms. A bottle slipped from someone's grip and smashed to the floor. Nobody seemed to notice though. All eyes were trained on the young woman at the front of the club singing.

And the club stayed completely silent until the very last note diminished from the woman's mouth.

Hinata opened her eyes, blinking as she realised the silence that surrounded her. All gazes were on her.

A single person clapped.

Hinata's body seized up, mortified at the thought that something had gone wrong.

The crowd erupted into an uninterpretable din. Hinata dropped the microphone in shock. What was happening? Was the crowd ready to riot and flood the stage seeking her blood? The noise was chaotic, even more than before. Hinata fled from the stage. The crowd seemed to be going crazy with screaming, clapping and whistling. She became lost in it, whirling around and looking for a way out. The crowd pressed against her, boxing her in.

"Hinata, this way!" A hand reached through the bodies and latched onto her wrist. Colours sped by from the lights of the club covering the floor and ceiling. A door was kicked out of the way. The noise of the crowd cut away.

Before she could take it all in, she realised she was outside. Shino had carried her in his arms up to the roof they had been hiding on before. As he placed her down, she noticed that sometime during being lost in the crowd, she'd also lost control of her henge.

"Did you… did you get him?" she asked, clutching at the collar of her jacket. Her heart was beating frantically.

Shino gave a simple nod and motioned towards the other side of the roof. Kiba and Akamaru dragged a man towards them, his wrists bound together and a gag stuffed in his mouth. Akamaru bared his teeth at the man as he tried to struggle.

"Ha, what'd I tell you? Simple!" Kiba smirked, patting Akamaru on the head to settle down.

"Hinata, you did very well." Shino turned to his female team mate.

The girl nodded vaguely. She trembled, remembering the rush inside the club and all the people that had been yelling at her. Yelling? Hinata raised a hand to her lips. Something didn't feel right about that. But, thank the heavens she wouldn't have to do something like that ever again. It was just too much.

Akamaru gave a sharp bark as Hinata went pale and began to teeter.

Hinata's mind went blank to the faded sounds of the club below.

* * *

**The next morning…**

Tsunade tapped a small pile of papers together neatly so she could staple them. Team Eight stood before her, waiting for her to speak.

"Nice work," she told them, placing the papers into a folder. "Kurenai was right in letting you take care of this one yourself. Take the rest of the day off to get some sleep. You're dismissed."

Team Eight bowed and left the office via the side window, jumping down to the street below. As they walked, Kiba scratched the back of his neck.

"Eh, I'm more hungry than sleepy. Let's get some food, I'll pay."

Hinata and Shino glanced over at him, surprised at the offer. Kiba saw their looks and shrugged.

"What? It was a good mission," he retorted. "But it's all thanks to Hinata," he said, giving Hinata a clap on the back. The girl winced, but Kiba was in too boisterous a mood to notice. "She went in and everyone in the crowd just went silent!"

"Hinata did very well to gain the crowd's attention," agreed Shino, turning slightly to her. "I would have liked to have heard you sing however."

"You… you didn't hear me?" asked the dark-haired girl. A small part of her really wished to know how she went.

Kiba shook his head. "We were too busy getting the guy outta there. He put up a little bit of a struggle and tried to whack me over the head with a bottle, but a good punch to the face solved that problem." He laughed. "Hey, Hinata, you should have seen the look on his face when we knocked him out! …Hinata?" He paused. Hinata was no longer beside them.

Akamaru nuzzled at Hinata's hand as she stood before a shop window. She made no acknowledgment, even when the dog barked for her attention.

"What is it, Hinata?" asked Shino, joining her. He glanced up at the window, seeing a poster. Despite being covered up so much, it didn't disguise his surprise. Shino's hands slipped from his pockets to hang by his sides. "Hinata, that is the henge you performed last night, is it not?"

The girl nodded slightly.

Kiba walked over and leaned forward. He frowned as he read. "_Teisatsu Kisai of Meiban Talent Agency presents Miss Hinaru, the world's next big idol. Miss Hinaru has disappeared though and we are seeking the public's help in locating the young woman pictured. If you are Miss Hinaru, or you have information concerning the songstress who appeared and disappeared from the Odorikuruu Nightclub on the night of the sixth, we urge you to come forth. Miss Hinaru, you are a star about to be born, please don't deny the world your wonderful talent._" Kiba raised an eyebrow. "The hell?"

Shino looked down the street, seeing other groups of people clustering around similar posters in shopfronts and taped to poles. "The posters are all over the place."

Hinata tapped her fingers together nervously and looked back down at the photo. Eyes like Naruto's stared back worriedly.

"What are you going to do, Hinata?"

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**A/N:** There's the first chapter done! I hadn't meant for it to go on for so much, heh. But anyway, here are a couple trivia points!

Singing in the Sun – sort of a parody on 'Singing in the Rain', but Hinata's name translates to 'in the sun'.

Hinaru – funnily enough, 'hi' can mean sun, and 'naru' can mean 'to become', so I suppose it can mean altogether 'To become the Sun'.


	2. Hiding Behind a Cloud

**Disclaimer: **Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and not me.

**A/N:** It's starting to get interesting…?

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**Chapter 2: Hiding Behind a Cloud**

Hinata gulped. There had been a talent scout at the club night before, and now he was searching for her? He wanted her to be the next big thing?

So the people at the club _hadn't_ been screaming for her blood last night? They had been cheering for her?

Hinata felt a headache coming on. There were too many questions!

"Whoa, this is for real, right?" asked Kiba, still staring at the poster before them. Hinata's henge from the night before was on it, the microphone just falling from her grip and blue eyes full of worry and shock.

"What are you going to do, Hinata?" Shino glanced across at the girl.

Hinata tapped her fingers together. "Um… I don't think we should do anything," she whispered.

The boy nodded. "That is a wise decision."

"Wise? Do nothing?" exclaimed Kiba. He pointed at the poster. "There's some guy who wants to make Hinata rich and famous! All she has to do is sing and she'll be set for life. She could even retire by this time next year; you know how much singing idols make! And then there's the movie offers, promotion contracts, touring around the world!"

"Kiba-kun, please don't yell," Hinata begged him. She looked up and down the street, but luckily the crowds that had been hanging around the other posters had faded away. "I don't want to do this. Tsunade-sama had told us to be discreet, and if my father found out, he'd be unhappy with me. My duty as a ninja is more important."

Kiba crossed his arms. "Fine, fine… but still I think you should do it." Akamaru gave a bark. "And so does Akamaru."

"The attention shall fade in a few days probably," said Shino, reassuring Hinata's still worried expression. "It is only hype. The media will forget about it soon enough."

Hinata nodded. What he said made sense. The posters would probably be gone in a few days and the young woman called 'Hinaru' would probably disappear from memory along with them.

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**A week later…**

The posters were gone. At least, all the ones that had been hung in places not owned by anyone… They'd been stolen like they were collectables. Shopkeepers furiously guarded the posters in their windows, shooing off anyone suspiciously loitering around them. For one solid week the talk had been about the young woman on the posters and the search, which was still continuing. A hotline had been set up for people to call into, and they'd had no shortage of calls from people claiming they'd seen 'Miss Hinaru the Famous Idol'. However, no real results had been found. It was like she had disappeared from existence.

But, just when Hinata thought things couldn't get worse, they did.

Hinata stared wide-eyed at the row of televisions in the storefront. Every screen was set to the same thing – a video of a nightclub where a young woman was singing. The glass of the shop vibrated from how loud the sets had been turned up to. The woman's voice rang clear out through the street. People were crowded around the shopfront, watching… staring… mesmerised.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever heard!" said someone.

"Shhhh!!" replied the crowd. They gave a moan of disappointment when the video finally ended.

"This video of Miss Hinaru was released only minutes ago," announced a voice over on the television. "The footage had been taken via security cameras from within the club; however the tape had been stolen from the premises shortly after the performance. Investigators were able to track the thief down and secure the tape though. Meibun Talent Agency hopes that this footage will help the efforts of the search, and urge the public more than ever to keep an eye out for the mysterious singer. Again, that number for those with information is…"

Hinata fled down the street. Now there was _video_ of her?

"Hinata!"

The girl turned as she heard claws scraping against the ground coming up behind her. Before she could blink, she felt herself grabbed by the arm and hurled up into the air.

"Kiba-kun!" She desperately clung onto the boy's hand until he swung her around to land on Akamaru's back. The dog panted heavily as he ran through the street, almost deserted from people racing inside to watch the television. "Kiba-kun, what are you doing?" she asked, eyes wide and hands clutching to the back of his jacket.

"We need to talk!" replied Kiba. "Let's go, Akamaru!"

The dog gave a bark and leapt into the air so he could race across rooftops. Hinata continued to hold tightly onto Kiba, feeling almost ill, but not from the ride. The feeling in her stomach knew exactly what Kiba was going to say.

* * *

"You have to go back to the club!" he said.

Hinata chewed on her bottom lip, trying not to look her team mate in the eye. "Kiba-kun… why do you care if I do this or not?"

Kiba paused, a strange change from his usual self. He crossed his arms and leant against a tree. "I dunno, okay? I just think you should."

"I… want to," replied Hinata quietly. "I like to sing. But I can't do it this way. It's not right when I have duties to Konoha."

Kiba sighed to himself and pushed off of the tree. He leapt back on Akamaru's back. "Remember what I said? About how we could get some easy missions for a while and we could do them while you go sing?"

Hinata nodded, remembering the offer.

"If you want, it's still there," he said. There was a moment of silence as they thought. "You want a ride back into town?" he asked.

"No, I'll walk back, but thank you." Hinata clasped her hands together as the two left. She sat down by a tree, looking up at the sun through the gaps of the branches.

_I could be famous,_ she thought. She shook her head after a second. _No, it wouldn't be me who'd be famous. It'd be 'Hinaru'… But then, nobody would know it's me so I could both be a singer _and_ a ninja. But what if somebody found out? _

Her shoulders drooped. There were so many questions. She wanted to know what fame was like, but at the same time she was worried about being found out.

If she took up this alter-ego, she would be able to feel like she had some freedom from being a ninja. It'd be a completely different world from the one she was currently in. She wanted a break – a new adventure where she could live in someone else's shoes for a while and not have to worry about her father breathing down her neck, or Hanabi gloating about how good she was compared to her.

Hinata started singing – the same song she had sung at the club. She imagined for a moment she really _was_ famous. For some reason, she felt like she suddenly had some confidence. All those people staring at her and not knowing it was her. Idols were always confident on stage. They never faltered and the crowd cheered their name. She could almost hear them…

"Miss Hinaru! Miss Hinaru! Oh, it's just you, Hinata."

Hinata's eyes snapped open and her voice faltered. In the instant that followed, she almost wished she hadn't. "Na-Na-Naruto-kun?" she exclaimed. The blond-haired boy walking towards her, looking disappointed. "Wha-what are you doing here?" she asked. She felt her face growing warm, knowing she must have looked like a tomato to him.

Naruto pouted. "I thought I heard Miss Hinaru singing. But when I came to investigate, I found you."

_Does he know? Did he figure it out? Of course he must have! I'm the only one here!_ Hinata was trying her best not to do any of her usual habits. She winced as her nails dug into her legs from clutching so hard. She stared up at Naruto, waiting for him to say something about her.

"You… That singing…" Naruto leaned in towards Hinata. The girl took a sharp breath. "You haven't seen Miss Hinaru around, have you, Hinata?"

Hinata's lower eyelid twitched. In that split second her willpower had finally given out.

"Hinata? Are you okay?" Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. "Darn, she's fainted again. She must really have low blood sugar." He let out a sigh. "And I really wanted to be the one to find Miss Hinaru too!"

* * *

Something cold kept touching Hinata's face. She gave a grunt, hating the feeling, and opened her eyes.

"Oh, you're awake, Hinata!"

Hinata blinked her eyes blearily. It felt like she'd just woken from a bizarre dream. A pink-haired girl leaned over her, taking a damp cloth off her forehead. "Sakura-chan?"

The girl raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you feeling better?"

"Um… Kind of… what happened?" Hinata hoped it was a dream… really she did.

Sakura sighed. "You fainted and Naruto brought you to me. He thinks you have low blood sugar." Again she raised an eyebrow at the dark-haired girl. "But that's not true, is it?"

Hinata's gaze swept around the room – a medical office. But as hard as Hinata tried to avoid the question, she could still feel Sakura's stare upon her. She needed a distraction, and fast!

"Hinata! Great, you're up!" The door burst open. In a whirlwind of orange and black, Hinata was swept up and out of the room.

Sakura blinked. What had just happened?

_Don't faint, don't faint, don't faint!_ Hinata told herself as she was dragged down the stairway, her hand firmly clutched by Naruto. "Na-Naruto-kun, what are you doing?"

The blond paused on the stairs, turning to grin at her. "We're going to go find Miss Hinaru, of course!"

"B-but why?" stuttered Hinata.

"You're good at scouting, aren't you?" asked Naruto in return. Hinata managed to give a tiny nod. "I need your help to find her, and two people have more chance than one."

Hinata's brows knit in confusion. "No Naruto-kun, I-I mean _why_ are finding Miss Hinaru?"

Naruto gave a narrow-eyed stare at her, head tilted as he thought to himself. He finally gave a smile. "I think she's really awesome."

"Really… awesome?" Hinata's look of confusion only deepened.

"Yeah," nodded Naruto. He began to pull Hinata down the stairs again. "I wish I could find her so then I could talk to her. I don't know what it is, but there's something familiar about her. And I really like her."

"Did… have you heard her sing?" asked Hinata softly.

"It's all over the village," reported the blond. "Everyone thinks she has the best voice."

"And… do you think she does too, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto glanced back up at her curiously. "Yeah, of course! It's perfect! What about you?"

"Um…" Hinata trailed off. It was her own voice… even if all these people said her voice was good, she still felt guilty if she boasted about it that way.

Luckily, Naruto seemed distracted as they walked out into the street, lined with more posters than ever, and just as many people stealing them. It was almost chaotic. Naruto let go of Hinata's hand, putting a finger to his lips. In a flash of speed and a tub of glue spilling onto a man up a ladder, the poster in his hands disappeared. Naruto appeared back before Hinata, waving the rolled up poster in her face and grinning widely.

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm collecting as many as I can," he whispered, still grinning cheekily. "Miss Hinaru's gonna be a big star, and I want to be her number one fan."

"Num-number one fan?" Hinata stared at the boy, feeling as though all the blood in her body had suddenly gone to her face.

"Yeah, yeah! So let's go find her!" Naruto grabbed her hand again.

"Naruto-kun! I can't!" exclaimed the girl. She managed to pull her hand free, a task which had been hard to do. His hand had been so warm… She shook her head. "Naruto-kun, I can't. I… I have something important I need to do." She felt positively horrible when the boy gave him a look of heartbroken disappointment. Hinata quickly stuttered out an apology and ran for it, not wanting to see the expression on his face any longer.

* * *

Barks sounded from within and around the house as Hinata knocked frantically on the front door. A young woman answered, Kiba's sister.

"You look like you've been to Suna and back, Hinata-chan," commented Hana. She shrugged and turned. "Hey Kiba! Hinata-chan is here to see you!"

Her brother looked out from the living room before coming to the door. Hana ruffled his hair on the way back towards the kitchen.

"What's up, Hinata?" asked Kiba.

Hinata was panting heavily. "That… that offer… can… I still… can I still take it up?"

A grin spread over Kiba's face. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to give in."

* * *

**A/N:** There we go then. I hope you're all enjoying this so far, especially you, Clark. XD


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